She's On The Money - A Love Letter to Everyone Who Survived 2025

Episode Date: December 28, 2025

If December has you replaying the year in your head, thinking about the money choices you made, the goals that shifted, or why things didn’t quite land the way you thought they would back in January, you’re not alone. A lot of us get to this point feeling tired, reflective, and a little unsure how to sum it all up. This episode is a chance to look at the year differently. Not through the lens of what you achieved or didn’t, but through the stuff you carried, adapted to, and figured out as you went. The money stress, the plans that changed, the moments you just kept going anyway. None of that was wasted, even if it didn’t feel impressive at the time. If you want to close out the year feeling a bit more grounded and a lot less hard on yourself, press play.  Get Victoria's Full Goal Setting System in her Your Best Year Yet course here. Join our Facebook Group AKA the ultimate support network for money advice and inspiration. Ask questions, share tips, and celebrate your wins with a like-minded crew of 300,000+.And follow us on Instagram for Q&As, bite-sized tips, daily money inspo... and relatable money memes that just get you. Acknowledgement of Country By Nartarsha Bamblett aka Queen Acknowledgements. The advice shared on She's On The Money is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. She's On The Money exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision. If you do choose to buy a financial product, read the PDS, TMD and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs.  Victoria Devine and She's On The Money are authorised representatives of Money Sherpa PTY LTD ABN - 321649 27708,  AFSL - 451289.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My name is Natasha Bamblett, I'm a proud First Nations woman, and I'm here to acknowledge country. Tii, gilinyan ganya, nianakaka yao yinbina waka, nianakai nianbina yakarumja, duminyagumiga dumiga ithawaka nirawamundamun imalan. Mumu bangada boma ininyalan waka, gaunan yakarumja, wutunarana. Hello beautiful friends. We gather on the lands of the Aboriginal people. we thank acknowledge and respect the aboriginal people's land that we're gathering on today take pleasure in all the land and respect all that you see she's on the money podcast acknowledges culture country community and connections bringing you the tools

knowledge and resources for you to thrive she's on the money she's on the money hello and welcome to she's on the money the podcast that usually brings you deep dives hot takes money diaries and the occasional chaotic rant but today my friend it is just you and me and we're doing something a little bit different because it's the end of the year and if you're anything like me, this time feels big, emotional, maybe a little bit sparkly, a little bit exhausting, and somehow like you're meant to have your life completely sorted by December 31. And honestly, really honestly, most of us do not. So today, my friend, is not a lesson or a recap or a list of goals that you should think about setting.

It's a bit of a moment to exhale together, a moment to kind of slow the pace, a moment to close a chapter very softly. A moment to remind you that this year, it was never wasted, even if it didn't look like the one that you had planned on the 1st of January, because here's the thing, and I say that a lot, here's the thing, my friend, nobody's year goes to plan ever. Nobody's spreadsheet actually survives all 12 months perfectly. And if yours does, please call me and let me know how and why. Nobody ends December feeling like, my goodness, I nailed every single financial goal, every single relationship, every career milestone, every goal that I set myself. I have slayed this year. Even when you see someone doing

their mood board recap and they make it look really pretty on Instagram, what matters is that you made it through this year because this year was hard. And I wanted to take a moment and literally an entire podcast, I suppose, to reflect on that with you because this year you survived things that never made it into your camera roll. Things that were really heavy. Things that you didn't post on social media about. Things that you carried really quietly because that's who you are and you just didn't want to share. Things that cost you emotional bandwidth that you didn't even know that you were spending at the time and now it feels like it's come back to bite you. And I need you to hear me when I say all of that counts. And you know what? So do all the little

things. The morning that you got up when you really didn't want to and me either queen. The bills you paid even though you were so stressed about money. All of those nights that you stayed up worrying about somebody that you love or something that you're wildly passionate about. The work that you did that nobody ever said thank you for. Those appointments that you made or those appointments that you kept rescheduling or the appointments that you actually finally went too. The budgeting attempts that you didn't stick with, but I feel like it taught you something anyway. Days that you chose rest when you were scared, it might make you look and feel really lazy. I'm really proud of you for the boundaries that you set or the boundaries that you tried to

set, even if your voice shook and the courage it took you to genuinely just keep going. My friend, maybe you didn't save as much as you'd hoped this year. Maybe you dipped into an emergency fund and that makes you feel not so good. Maybe you had a setback that knocked your confidence and maybe, maybe you felt like you were just starting again, again. That doesn't actually make you behind though. Small steps in the right direction are still steps and that makes you human. And honestly, it makes you so flipping brave. I'm seeing so many people, especially on social media at the moment, talking about this year like it was a checklist, like it should be measured in milestones and achievements. But life is not and never will be checklists.

Life happens in the middle bits, the moments where nothing looked glamorous, but you were still quietly building resilience. You were learning, you were healing, then you were unlearning and you were also adapting. And you know what? You didn't film any of that. None of that shows up in the highlights reel, but it shapes your entire life. It shapes who you are, who you're becoming. It shapes who I'm becoming. Imagine how different you'd feel if instead of judging yourself on what you didn't achieve this year, you acknowledge that you carried everything. You held everything together. You made it work. The weight of the world on your shoulders was not too heavy. Imagine if you gave yourself the same compassion that you would give your

best friend. Because I promise you, she would never, ever, ever talk to you the way that you talk to yourself in your head. She wouldn't say your year was wasted. She wouldn't literally never even think about telling you that you were behind. She doesn't think you are. She wouldn't say that you should have done more. You know what she'd say? She'd say exactly what I would say. She'd say, I saw how hard this year was for you and you still showed up, you legend. And that's exactly what I'm saying to you right now. This year was not about wins and losses. It was about the invisible work that you did just to keep going. The boundaries that you set, the boundaries that you really tried hard to keep, the habits that you tried, the moments that you chose rest over

burnout, the time that you said no, even though you were very scared, you were terrified or that you felt like you were disappointing someone, and the relationships you protected. Maybe even the relationships you walked away from. The clarity that you gained, the softness that you rediscovered the parts of yourself that you have ultimately outgrown in the last 12 months the parts of yourself that you feel like you might have come home to now I want you to try something with me bear with me please and maybe entertain me on this one I want you to think of just one thing from this year that you are personally proud of maybe it's not an obvious thing not maybe something that goes on a cv but like a quiet thing maybe it's the moment where

you showed yourself strength or softness or honesty, or maybe even courage, even if nobody else noticed. Have you got it? I want you to hold onto it. Maybe you pause the podcast and have a little bit of a think about it because that thing is proof that growth doesn't always look like a milestone. Sometimes it's just choosing yourself in a tiny moment that maybe nobody else noticed, but you did. And that's what contributed to your growth. I really hope you can find something that you can grasp onto that's going to give you enough space to let that moment rise to the surface. Because those quiet wins matter, honestly, so much more than you realize. They're the things that build your confidence really slowly, not in the loud Instagrammable ways, but in the quiet

rewiring of how you personally treat yourself. Something else I want you to hear before this year ends is when January rolls around, you don't need to reinvent yourself. You do not need a color-coded plan for 2026. You don't need to become a brand new person at midnight. You don't suddenly become worthy because a calendar resets. You are worthy. You were always worthy. You get to grow at the pace that feels kind. You get to choose a softer little reset if you want to reset at all. You get to take one tiny intentional step instead of trying to change your whole life in one go. That's silly. Maybe for you, next year isn't about major overhaul. Maybe it won't be dramatic or aesthetic or goal heavy. Maybe next year is about

steadiness. Maybe it's about consistency or rebuilding your confidence slowly, or maybe finding your joy again, because that's what it's going to be for me. Future you doesn't need you to be perfect next year. She doesn't need you to hustle yourself into exhaustion, I promise. She doesn't need you to have absolutely everything sorted. You know what she needs? she just needs you to keep showing up to keep caring to keep trying in whatever capacity you have and you've already done that you've already proven that you can do that because you made it through this year every single little messy bit every surprise cost every unexpected life tea tour every I'm just really doing my best or I'm trying to do my best moment and before we wrap up

as well. I just, I really want to say thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for trusting me with your money stories, your fears, your dreams, your wins, your unhinged Instagram messages. I love them. Thank you for listening on your commute or your walk or you hide from the kids in the pantry while you're eating the snacks you told them you didn't have. Thank you for letting this community be part of your life. This community is the heart of literally everything I do. And I'm just I'm so incredibly grateful for you and just so you know I'm not going anywhere in January we are here we are with you we're not hitting pause we're not having a podcast break we're not disappearing because we believe in you as you are you are learning you are growing healing

trying rebuilding becoming more confident with every conversation and every small decision everything that my team and I create next month and every month after is centered around you feeling confident you feeling supported and you being empowered with your money but my friend it's not in a pressure-filled way but more in a grounded real life I've got your back my friend away so as we step into a new year here's what I really want you to carry with you you're not behind you're not late you're not starting from nothing you're starting from here you're starting from experience from everything this year taught you every single thing you survived every single thing you navigated, everything you learned about who you are and what you value. And I am so unbelievably

proud of you. The advice shared on She's on the Money is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. She's on the Money exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision. If you do choose to buy a financial product, read the PDS, TMD and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs. Victoria Devine and She's On The Money are authorised representatives of Money Sherpa PTY LTD ABN 321 649 27708 AFSL 451 289.